Assembly and method for containing contaminants within an interior area of a traction battery pack

Abstract

An exemplary traction battery assembly includes, among other things, a container disposed about a portion of a fastened joint within an interior of a traction battery enclosure. The container is configured to hold contaminants to block the contaminants from contacting a surface of a component housed within the interior. An exemplary contaminant containing method includes, among other things, within an interior area of a traction battery enclosure, holding contaminants within a container to block the contaminants from contacting a surface of a component housed within the interior. The container is disposed about a fastened joint within the interior area.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A traction battery assembly, comprising
 a container disposed about a portion of a fastened joint within an interior of a traction battery enclosure, the container configured to hold contaminants and to block the contaminants from contacting a surface of a component housed within the interior. 
 
     
     
       2. The traction battery assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the contaminants are shavings from a fastener of the fastened. 
     
     
       3. The traction battery assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the fastener is a first fastener that threadably engages a second fastener to provide the fastened joint. 
     
     
       4. The traction battery assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the first fastener is a bolt and the second fastener is a weld nut. 
     
     
       5. The traction battery assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the second fastener includes an aperture that receives the first fastener when the first and second fastener are engaged with each other to provide the fastened joint. 
     
     
       6. The traction battery assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the container is distributed circumferentially continuously about the aperture. 
     
     
       7. The traction battery assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the container is snap-fit to the fastened joint. 
     
     
       8. The traction battery assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the container is interference-fit to the fastened joint. 
     
     
       9. The traction battery assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a first and second portion of the traction battery enclosure, the first portion held relative to the second portion by the fastened joint. 
     
     
       10. The traction battery assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the first portion is a lid of the traction battery enclosure and the second portion is a tray of the traction battery enclosure. 
     
     
       11. The traction battery assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a battery array held with the interior area, the fastened joint securing the battery array to the traction battery enclosure. 
     
     
       12. The traction battery assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the container is made of a polymer-based material. 
     
     
       13. A contaminant containing method, comprising:
 within an interior area of a traction battery enclosure, holding contaminants within a container to block the contaminants from contacting a surface of a component housed within the interior, the container disposed about a fastened joint within the interior area. 
 
     
     
       14. The contaminant containing method of  claim 13 , wherein the contaminants are shavings from a fastener of the fastened. 
     
     
       15. The contaminant containing method of  claim 13 , generating the contaminants when securing a first fastener of the fastened joint to a second fastener of the fastened joint. 
     
     
       16. The contaminant containing method of  claim 15 , wherein the first fastener threadably engages the second fastener to provide the fastened joint. 
     
     
       17. The contaminant containing method of  claim 15 , wherein the second fastener includes an aperture that receives the first fastener when the first and second fastener are engaged with each other to provide the fastened joint. 
     
     
       18. The contaminant containing method of  claim 17 , wherein the container is distributed circumferentially continuously about the aperture. 
     
     
       19. The contaminant containing method of  claim 15 , further comprising snap-fitting the container to the fastened joint. 
     
     
       20. The contaminant containing method of  claim 15 , further comprising holding the container relative to the fastened joint via an interference fit.